If only someone had seen this coming and warned ag’n it. The Washington Examiner:
We thought that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s attempt to reform Medicare had struck a fatal blow against the “third rail” mentality in Washington — that cultural defect whereby politicians run in terror from anything new, no matter how necessary it is. Unfortunately, we are being proven wrong — not by voters, and not by Democrats’ “Mediscare” tactics, but by Republicans who are going wobbly, distancing themselves from Ryan in search of a political advantage. Given the dire need for Medicare reform, these Republicans are imperiling the nation’s future, to say nothing of the GOP’s political fortunes.
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich provided the first sound bite for Democrats’ 2012 ads when he denounced Ryan’s plan as “radical” and “right-wing social engineering.” From the opposite end of the spectrum, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticized Ryan’s plan for spending too much, even though it may be Medicare’s only hope for long-term sustainability. Then came Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., a rising moderate star in the GOP. Brown wrote in a Politico op-ed that he will vote “no” on Ryan’s plan, and instead wants a plan that “[protects] those who have been counting on the current system their entire adult lives” and that gradually phases in changes “to give our future seniors enough years to adjust to the ‘new normal.’ ”
[…]
If Republicans want to leave President Obama in office and return to the minority in both houses of Congress, they can follow the example of Gingrich, Paul and Brown. When an innovative idea is proposed, use it to your political advantage. First, attack it, preferably with a circular firing squad. Then run away and distance yourself from it. Then go out for drinks on Capitol Hill and ask your colleagues why nothing ever gets fixed in Washington.
If the GOP goes wobbly, the party is done for. And frankly, I have no interest in reforming a party whose first instinct is to run away from constitutional conservatism/classical liberalism every time the Beltway liberals are able to spook them.
Why are they not out in force putting a stop to the lies of Democrats? Calling them lies, and showing how the lies work? Why are they not out chastising the media for what are blatant lies and misrepresentations — and pointing out the obvious bias of our supposedly “objective” media?
And no, tweets don’t count. Call a press conference, Boehner. For fuck’s sake. Harry Reid already did. And he lied and lied and lied. And framed the narrative while doing so.
The problem is that both sides of the governing class fully believe that allowing the ship of state to hit the iceberg perfectly positions them to take charge of the life boats.
That is very well put, Ernst.
As crazy as it sounds, they’re getting a lot of help from Pawlenty, who’s pointing out the inconvenient truth that in 8 years time medicare will have to cut benefits, by law, owing to fiscal shortfall.
And while he doesn’t embrace Ryan’s plan directly, saying he has one of his own, he’s talking up parts of it.
I’m not shilling for Pawlenty here, just pointing out that this could be a good thing to be spotlit in the debates.
Indeed. Wish I’d have written it.
A bit unfair to lump Rand Paul in with ignoramus one and two, I think. Obviously, he is looking at it from a different perspective. I like the Ryan plan, also, but I don’t think democrats are going to use Rand Paul’s critiques of it in their campaign literature/propaganda. They sure will use the other’s, however.
Circularity, circularity, circularity.
Never any hill worth dieing for ends in slavery.
Never give credence to anybody who doesn’t know the difference between “debt” and “deficit,” I always say.
The GOP is turning into the IWW? When did that come up in the meetings?
PS: Ernst: is giving them Tower of Power ok?
As long as the Tower isn’t the Power of Hoodooh, sure. Why not?
Circular firing squads can be fun. Check for instance what’s going on right now between Brian Leiter, Crooked Timber and Brad Delong. I mean, where else could you read this, written by Brian Leiter, (I’m guessing) completely unironically:
IMPEACH GEORGE W. BUSH! IMPEACH HIM NOW!
Sorry, just had to get that out.